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Senior Court Reporter
SUSPECTED armed robbers who exchanged fire with detectives in Ruwa on Tuesday leading to the death of a member of the gang, Alexio Mupamhura, were acquitted by a Harare regional magistrate last year.
Mupamhura died at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals a few hours after the shootout.
He was acquitted along with Carlson Mabhonga, Tapiwa Zimbandu and Emmanuel Dylan Matiza by magistrate Mrs Gloria Takundwa on robbery charges.
The State has appealed against their acquittal at the High Court. On Thursday, a member of the new gang, Deliverance Nyasha Makomva, who was arrested after the shootout, appeared in court facing six counts of armed robbery.
Makomva was not asked to plead to the charges when he appeared before magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje, who remanded him in custody to March 17. He was told only the High Court could hear his bail application.
Mr George Manokore, prosecuting, alleges that on December 3 last year, Mupamhura, Tendai Ruchiyo, Matiza, Mabhonga and Lloyd Chinembiri drove in a Honda Fit to Powerline Zimbabwe located in Belvedere, Harare.
The complainant, who was fast asleep, heard the gang’s arrival and managed to escape to the cottage. The gang allegedly entered the house and stole cellphones, a bag containing Powerline Zimbabwe banners, a solar panel and other valuables. It is said that on December 15, they also went to 122 Emmerson D. Mnangagwa Road in Highlands where they found the complainant seated in a Nissan NP200, dragged him out, hit him three times with an iron bar and dragged him to the office where they stole lithium batteries and US$700.
On January 10, the gang went to Powerflex Energy in Eastlea where they stole US$2 800 and lithium batteries. The court heard that on February 2 they went to Total Energies at Huruyadzo Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza armed with pistols and machetes. Employees at the service station started running away and the gang pursued them firing shots. The gang allegedly managed to catch one employee and dragged him back to the service station, then broke into the shop and stole groceries and lithium batteries and went away.
The court heard that on February 7, they went to 153 Sam Nujoma Street in Harare where they robbed Soltale, which deals with solar gadgets, and stole solar panels and batteries.
Security guards reaction teams attempted to apprehend them, but they managed to escape.
In the wee hours of the same day, the gang went to Kamfinsa Shops and broke into a shop and stole clothing.
Online Reporter